Cyrus upgrade experiences - part 2

[admin_exported]

Hello Forum,

some 10 days back have reported about my upgrade from 8 Vs to Pre XPD / X Power both options supported by an PSX-R.

The sound of the new units is more detailed with a lot of information never heard before, no matter whether it is CD or turntable.However I'am still disappointed about the lean sound of voices which is very different to the 8VS which is sounding more natural in regard to voices. My fault was perhaps that I did not listen to the new combo before I bought, relying a bit on the What Hifi report regarding the PRE XPD.

My speakers : AE1 MK 3 can not be the problem , thas what I guess at least.

Cyrus is saying it is perhaps due to the run in time of the Pre which they think is appr. 2 weeks. Now 1 week is gone and I have to interrupt the run in time because the Pre is making problems, i.e. its automatic fault detection system is saying - problems with the internal power supply. Last evening i off the Pre via the remote and then I was trying to on it again via the on/off knob with the result that the led of the Pre was just flashing red. Had no idea what was the problem so disconnected and connected the power lead from the socket and the problem was solved. The same applies for the fault described before - automatic info - have problems with the internal power supply.Disconnecting and connecting the power lead solved the problem. So i think something wrong with the Pre and will see what the dealer /Cyrus can do about it

Anybody in the Forum had similar problems?

What I understood so far of HIFI is that Power is next to the room the most important issue.

Regards from Germany

Edgar

 

[bluebrazil]

check your connection with the psxr is in correctly, if it is try running the pre amp without the psxr to see if any faults still occur. If so then its deffo a case of returning it to your dealer for repair/replacement. Push for replacement as cyrus arent the fastest at repairs, or get a temporary replacement. I was told all repairs are put in line with items to be factory upgraded and 6 to 8 weeks was quoted to me when i had a dab 8 repaired under warranty

 

[Anonymous]

Does sound a strange one, so try the pre by itself and see if there is a problem when just using it by itself.

Also, when I had my cd player software updated, it only took 2 and a half weeks, so sending it off etc if faulty should not be 2 bad.

Hope you get it sorted dude.

 

[Anonymous]

I would try without PSX-R's to see if that cures the fault as the fault could be with the PSX-R.

I think latestCyrus should be a bit warmer than the very dry and precise sound of previous Cyrus models. Of course going to pre/power will improve detail. What cables are you using? I went from QED SA biwire to Chord Odessy 4 and got more bass weight and more clarity. Even better was I/C - replaced cheap QED with Nordost Black Knight and this gave smoother less harsh top end.

 

[Anonymous]

Hello Friends

thanks for your comments and recommendations.

Will try without psx-r however can not imagine this is the problem as the PSX-R was running and now is running with my 8 VS without problem.

I'am using Phonosophie LS3 cables which very neutral and quite thick = 7smm2.

I was trying some time ago Atlas Hyper 2.0 and that was worst as only blowing up Bass. Is for sale now.

Voices in the Pre Power combination are really so different to the 8 VS. What Hifi say in the review of the PRE XPD -"you have a wonderful neutral midrange" .Perhaps that means - bright or lean only.

The 8 VS is producing voices with volume and be more attended to. With the PRE-XPD voices tend to be in the backround only. Will see whether the Pre is faulty or not, but I'm sure something is wrong.

Will report once I have the Pre back.

Regards

Edgar

 

[SHAXOS]

Cyrus have really good customer service so they should be able to help!

 

[Anonymous]

Edgar, maybe what you're hearing is simply more accurate. Perhaps the colour of the older amp is something that you prefer for the given source material.

 

[Anonymous]

Just thinking the same, as went downstairs to try the integrated. The detail levels from the pre and power are a lot greater, but after a while or running in, was smoother all around than the integrated.

Maybe speak to Cyrus about it as well.

The units do take an age to bed down, but also, the main ting is your ears getting used to the new sound more than anything.

I use van den hul interconnects and this does smooth out any rough edges, but more so was sitting down and getting used to the sound.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Igglebert - Potboyslim for your comments.

May be you are right, my ears have to adjust to the new sound which is more accurate. One thing I was noticing is that the difference between my Rega P3/Heed Orbit1/Benz ACEL , phono pre Lehmann Black Cube SE and my Arcam CD 73 is even more extreme now in favour of the TT.

regards

Edgar

 

[Anonymous]

Any joy when swapping things around, have you sorted the pre problem out?

 

[AEJim]

Hi Edgar,

Presuming all is working correctly with the Cyrus, and all running in is done (which doesn't usually result in dramatic character changes after an initial warm-up period) then it may be a factor that the increased power/quality of the amplifier is simply controlling the bass driver of your AE1's with more grip. This could result in a leaner sound (though usually with more "punch") as the AE1's go very low for such a small driver and weak amps struggle to control this, sometimes giving a "fatter" sound but lower achievable maximum volume levels.

I would suggest when at the end of the recommended running-in period for the new Cyrus gear that it may be worth experimenting with the speaker positioning to fill out the sound a little. One of the areas this most affects is the upper-bass/lower-mid which is where you seem to have a problem. I'm not merely suggesting placing the speakers closer to the wall - this can give as many negatives as positives! It is worth larger experimentation in your case:

Play some music through the system with a fairly deep and continuous bass-line (does not have to be particularly loud) and stand very close to the speaker (looking down on it) - listen to the strength and quality of the bass-line. Now pick up the speaker + stand (I know this can be heavy so caution is advised, I slipped two discs loading the official stands into the car!) and slowly move it around the general area, listening carefully to that bass-line. A few inches in any direction can have a fairly dramatic effect depending on your room acoustics, you should eventually find a position where the bass sounds "best", it may be you spent time setting up when you first got the system but due to the balance change it may be necessary to redo this now. Do the same for the other speaker, and if you have the space don't be afraid to move a fair distance from the initial spot - eventually you can fine-tune the sound this way until you're happy, both acoustically and visually! When the basic position is right adjust for toe-in - we usually recommend anywhere from straight ahead to just enough toe-in to see down the inside edge of each cabinet from the listening position, adjust to your own preference and make sure the stands are level and stable.

I'm not guaranteeing this will fix your problem but it's worth a try as you've invested quite a bit of money in the system - the warning problem on the amp may indicate other, more fundamental problems with the new gear but I'm sure Cyrus will clarify if it persists.

We changed our main listening room dramatically in the office and altered from a listening position of around 2 feet from the back wall to around 5 feet! It's not practical for everyone to do this but gives us a very neutral position from which to design and test product (it's a large and tall room!), before this we were finding far more variance in the sound of our models and now this has all evened out considerably.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi James,

many thanks for your proposals.I will try whether this helps however I wonder whether the Pre is ok, technically. Cyrus will have it back I guess end of next week. The Pre and its safety system was saying via the display -I the Pre do have a problem with my internal power supply. The funny thing is that disappears when I unplug and plug the power lead again. This was one of the problems with the Pre among others.Simple things like off the Pre with the remote and then can not on again unless I unplug and plug again.then all over sudden during play terrible noise comes from both speakers - sounds as if the turntable motor sends noise. So off the power amp and on again the sound is gone. I think the pre has a real problem as my Cyrus 8VS never had such issues and still don't has it.

I bought my speakers via an auction of AE - selling a demo pair and then bought your stands via my dealer. The stands by the way have been quite expensive but no problem. This dealer is a real AE fan and before I changed to the AE1 MK3 I was using the AE 120. Positioning was recommended by the dealer close to the back wall 30-50 cm but I could not do it because I have a big shelf in front of the wall.Now the speakers are away from the backwall appr. 65 cm - to the side walls 80 cm. I was trying many positions with the speakers and I'am satisfied now. No extremes,neither bass nor high frequencies are a problem. My dealer -it is not the one where I bought the Cyrus set up - he is not happy with Cyrus anymore because of their price policies in Germany and the UK - actually is a Naim enthusiast and perhaps I have done here the basic fault. Anyway he is saying the AE1 MK 3 is actually a speaker which is very much on the point , in the sense that this speaker will immediately react to electronics and in his opinion this speaker can even handle electronics up to many ten thousand pounds.

So finally I don't think that the speaker is the problem, it seems my ears just notice that the center of music - voices- do sound sound very natural with the new Pre/Power combination and thats where my understanding to new developments in products is disturbed as it will not be just me who will note that compared to the previous Cyrus sound , which by the way was not so far away from Naim, the sound of the new electronics is so different.

It is very nice of you that you have send your proposals and similar to one of the previous forum members, who said already we need more advice from the British Hifi experts in order to be even more happy with our hobby.

Best Regards

Edgar